Metro East Senior Park Apartments, a new senior affordable complex in Santa Ana, is accepting new tenants after design and construction have wrapped up.

Orange-based AO was the architect on the project, which was designed for developers AMG, The Pacific Cos. and Jamboree Housing Corp.

The complex at 2222 E. First St. has 419 units with a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments with floor plans ranging from 402 to 821 square feet. Rents for residents age 62 and older range from $999 for a studio to $1,484 for a two-bedroom unit.

Amenities include a fitness center, recreation lounge, outdoor dining and barbecues, lawn games and a community garden.

“Nearly 125,000 low-income renter households in Orange County do not have access to an affordable home …,” said Alexis Gevorgian, partner at AMG. “We’re proud to bring a much-needed asset to Santa Ana that meets pent-up demand and promotes an active and social lifestyle for Orange County seniors.”

Partners on the project include Sinanian Construction, Thomas H. Phelps Landscape Architecture and civil engineer C&V Consulting.

Mechanics Bank leased 51,000 square feet at Irvine Towers and Market Place Center. (Courtesy of Irvine Company and Eric Figge Photos)

Irvine Co. leases continue amid pandemic

Irvine Co. leased nearly 7 million square feet of office space in California and Chicago during the pandemic, company execs said last week.

From April 2020 to March 2021, the company said some 200 companies either expanded, renewed or signed new leases totaling more than 6.7 million square feet. As vaccines accelerated, the company leases some 2 million square feet in February and March 2021.

The company did not provide monetary values of the leases.

Some of the local deals included:

• CoStar Realty Information leased 115,000 square feet at Spectrum Terrace;
• Mechanics Bank leased 51,000 square feet at Irvine Towers and Market Place Center;
• Clean Energy Fuels Corpl leased 49,000 square feet at MacArthur Court;
• RSM US leased 29,600 square feet at Spectrum Terrace

To prepare tenants for a return to offices, Irvine Co. said it replaced and upgraded more than 50,000 air filters, installed more than 1,500 sanitizing stations and added 3,000 touchless bathroom fixtures in California and Chicago.

A 2,082-square-foot office building in a converted bungalow on 488 S. Glassell in Orange has sold for $1,315,000, according to Lee & Associates in Orange. Allen Buchanan and Joshua Harper represented the buyer, Burris Law. (Courtesy of Lee & Associates, Orange)

Office in historic Orange sells for $1.3M

A 2,082-square-foot office building in a converted bungalow on 488 S. Glassell in Orange has sold for $1,315,000, according to Lee & Associates in Orange.

Allen Buchanan and Joshua Harper represented the buyer, Burris Law.

Austin Blodgett. left, and Patrick Higgins.

Expansions

RealSource Group, a commercial real estate brokerage in Newport Beach, has launched an investment sales division.

Austin Blodgett, as vice president, of investment sales, will lead the division. In his role, Blodgett will focus on advising clients on buying and selling retail properties nationwide from single-tenant to multi-tenant facilities.

RealSource Group specializes in tenant representation, investment sales and sale-leasebacks on a national platform.

Industry people on the move

Patrick Higgins is the new vice president or sales and marketing for the Southern California division of Newport Beach-based Landsea Homes Corp. He has more than 25 years of experience in the homebuilding industry. Previously, he was director of sales for Lennar, where he oversaw sales operations for all residential projects. He also he spent time at Taylor Morrison Homes and Meritage Homes.

Real estate transactions, leases and new projects, industry hires, new ventures and upcoming events are compiled from press releases by contributing writer Karen Levin. Submit items and high-resolution photos via email to Business Editor Samantha Gowen at sgowen@scng.com. Please allow at least a week for publication. All items are subject to editing for clarity and length.

Originally Appeared On: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/14/real-estate-news-affordable-senior-apartments-debut-in-santa-ana